Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person or thing that signals or announces the approach of something: A harbinger is something that comes before and indicates the future arrival of a person, event, or change.
   • A forerunner or precursor: Something that precedes and shows what is to follow.

2. Verb:

   • To signal the approach of; to presage or foreshadow: To act as a sign that something is going to happen.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The first robin is often considered a harbinger of spring.
  • The sudden drop in stock prices was a harbinger of the coming economic crisis.
• Verb:
  • The dark clouds harbingered a severe storm. (This verb form is less common and more literary.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a harbinger of things to come": to be a sign of what will happen in the future.
  • The new technology is a harbinger of things to come in the industry.

Variants and Related Words

• Harbinger (verb): The verb form, meaning to announce or signal beforehand. It is used in formal or literary contexts.
• Herald (noun/verb): A very close synonym, often used interchangeably with "harbinger."

Synonyms

• Noun: Forerunner, precursor, herald, sign, indicator, omen, portent.
• Verb: Foreshadow, presage, portend, augur, herald, foretell.

Related Phrases

• Harbinger of doom: A person or thing that signals bad news or a disastrous event is coming.
  • The journalist's grim report was seen as a harbinger of doom for the administration.

Noun

1. something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone

Verb

1. foreshadow or presage